Derailing device for aerial tramways



T. S. SANNER. DERAILING DEVICE FOR AERIAL TRAMWAYS.

APPLICATION .mzo DEC.3!,192|.

v 1,409, 1 17. Patented Mar. 7, 1922.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DERAILING DEVICE FOR AERIAL TRAMWAYS.

Application filed December 31, 1921.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Trroims S. SANNER, a citizen of the United States of America, and resident of Hooversville, in the county of Somerset and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Del-ailing Devices for Aerial Tramways, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to aerial tramways, and particularly to means for derailing the car or traveling element whether it be in the nature of a car bucket or the like, should the rope clamp of such car become impaired and tail to operate. the said invention having for an object the provision of novel means whereby the carriage will be derailed or diverted from the courseof travel along the cable or rope, in order. that it will not collide with other carriages which are being conveyed by the cable.

It is to be understood by the term carriage the inventor means to include any bucket car or holder which is to be conveyed by the cable, it being the purpose of the inventor to provide means which will disengage the gripping element or cable engaging element and cause it to be deflected laterally and discharged to a bed or buffer where it may lodge without seriously injuring the carriage, and the inventor suggests that a pile of brush, straw or thelike could be employed for forming the bed on which the carriage will alight after it has left the derailing device. 7

It is a further object of this invention to produce a derailing device which may be controlled from a distance, in order that an operator may lower the derailing device into operative relation with the cable to effect the transfer of the carriage from the cable to the derailing device in case of accident.

lVith the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention consists in the details of construction, and in the arrangement and combination of parts to be hereinafter more fully set forth and claimed.

In describing the invention in detail, reference will be had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this application wherein like characters denote corresponding parts in the several views, and in which- Figure 1 illustrates a view in elevation of a fragment of a tower showing a device embodying the invention applied thereto;

Figure 2 illustrates a sectional view of the Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. '7, 1922. Serial No. 526,250.

cable showing the derailing device associated therewith; and

Figure 3 illustrates a perspective view of the (lei-ailing rail and its mounting.

In these drawings 5 denotes the tower or framework with relation to which cable guides or supports 6 are mounted, in order that the cable 7 may travel thereover in operative relation to the derailing device. The supports are mounted on a cross arm 7" as fully shown.

The derailing device comprises a rail 8 having a tapered end 9 extending in the direction in which the carriages approach the said rail, in order that it will be free of a shoulder which might impair the travel of the hanger from which the carriage is suspended. The rail is further provided with a laterally curved end 10 which is intended to direct the hanger to one side of the tramway irom whence it will be delivered to the buffer.

The rail has pairs of depending lugs 11 and 12, the lugs of each pair being in spaced relation to each other, forming a clearance for the reception of the cable, in order that the derailing device may be accurately guided with respect to the cable. The rail is further provided with arms 12 which extend toward the posts of the tower and each arm} has an eye 13 at its end to receive a pintle 1 1 of the hanger 15, which hanger may be secured in a post or brace of the tower so that the rail 8 may oscillate with respect to the cable.

Each arm further is provided with an aperture 16 in which a rope or other suspending device 17, and the suspending devices 17 have an operating rope 18 attached to them-which may lead to a distant point to be under the control of an operator.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the derailing device is in its inoperative position free of the cable, so that when the tramway is worked under normal conditions, there will be no interference with the travel of the carriages. The operator may, however, re-

lease the rope or flexible member 18 to permit' the derailing rail'to fall under the influence of the spring 18 into operative relation with the cable when it will be in position to engage the hanger or clutch or pulley of a carriage to remove it from engagement with the cable'and deflect it. or change its course of travel, as heretofore indicated The spring 18? is connected to the cross arm and to the lug 12 or any part of the rail.

Each hanger 15 may have a threaded shank to engage a nut 19, and the said shank may be extended through one of the braces 20 or the tower, in order that the arms will be pivotally mounted with respect to the cable, and when a device of this character has been installed, it can be maintained in operative condition without liability of its being impaired and the cost of installing a derailing device will be comparatively small.

I claim:

1. In a derailing device for aerial tramways, a tower having a cable guide with relation to which a cable moves, a derailing device for acarriage hanger comprising a rail having a tapered end adapted to engage the cable and a laterally curve-d opposite end, means for oscillatably mounting the rail in a position parallel with the cable, means for normally holding the rail elevated, and means for causing the rail to engage the cable.

sition parallel with the cable, and means for normally holding the rail elevated.

3. In a derallmg device ior aerial tramways, a tower, a derailing rail pivotally mounted in a plane parallel with a cable with relation to which the rail is to coact, means for normally holding the derailing rail out of operative relation with the cable, and meanson the rail for guiding it into operative relation to the cable and for retaining the cable in such operative relation to the rail.

THOMAS S. SANNER. 

